After two and a half months of waiting, 83-year old Alba Fiore eagerly pulled down her mask to receive communion at a church in Rome Monday.
“Finally!” she said with a gratified sigh.
This was the first religious ceremony at the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina, a stone’s throw from the Vatican, since Italy went into lockdown.
“I feel relieved,” said pensioner Antonio Butera, a fellow Catholic.
“After two months without being able to attend a mass other than the one on television, it’s a great day for me.”
Religious ceremonies were authorised in the 25,000 parishes across the country from Monday — provided the fonts for holy water were empty and visitors followed strict social distancing rules.
The faithful have been warned repeatedly that a failure to adhere to sanitary protocols could spark a second wave of the pandemic that has claimed around 32,000 lives, 120 priests among them.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has cautioned mosque authorities in Nigeria against the reopening of mosques.
The MURIC Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, made the call on Monday in a statement against the reopening of mosques on the orders of the state governments in Borno, Gombe and Zamfara states.
“There are reports that some state governments have given the green light for the opening of mosques.
“This may not be wise enough.
“We must be on the side of caution regarding this dangerous virus whose cure has not been found.
“Muslims should not rush to their graves.
“We suggest that mosques should remain closed until the Federal Government declares the country safe from the pandemic. We know that lockdown hurts. But so does it hurt everywhere else. We urge Muslims to exercise patience. Those who die can never be seen again. Neither can they be part of a safer and better Nigerian society when the lockdown is finally lifted. We must join hands with the rest of humanity to defeat COVID-19. No single community, group or country can fight the battle alone,” Akintola said.
According to him, reopening mosques at this time can be interpreted as withdrawing from the battlefield and leaving the rest of the country to face the fight alone and may also be interpreted as disobedience to FG’s restriction on crowding.
He added, “MURIC reminds the governments and people of Borno, Gombe and Zamfara states whose population is predominantly Muslim of Allah-given fundamental right to life. This right should not be violated through any hasty yet wrongful policy decision.
“The pattern of congregating in mosques may even be more prone to infections than some other places. Unlike others who assemble for worship once in a week or once in a year, Muslims congregate five times daily for the five daily prayers, once weekly for jumu’ah prayer and twice annually for the festivals. It is noteworthy that the last three draw mammoth crowds. Our prostration where all heads touch the ground simultaneously and rise together gives cause for concern about the likelihood of one worshipper breathing almost directly into another’s nostrils. A pragmatic and realistic approach is therefore necessary on the issue of reopening of mosques. It is bad enough that there is fire on the mountain. But it may be worse if we use our hands to draw the fire to our rooftops.
“It is therefore our considered opinion that the authorities in the three states (Borno, Gombe and Zamfara) should reconsider their decisions particularly before the Id al-fitr festival prayer which is fast approaching. We remind the three states that the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) had advised Muslims against congregations until further notice. We therefore suggest that the leadership of the Nigerian Muslim community, namely, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the NSCIA should be consulted before the decision to reopen mosques can be implemented.”